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Monday, July 25, 2016

During the summer of 2007, just before I graduated from college, I interned at Cleveland Magazine. It was an incredible, fun, educational experience. My commencement took place the day after my internship ended, & the day after that, I moved to Washington, D.C., to begin a one-year fellowship as a legislative assistant for a nonprofit. I told my mom that when the year was up, I was coming back to Ohio - back to Cleveland.

Nine summers later, I still work for that same nonprofit. And though it took a long time & a few states in between, I did, finally, make it back home.

I always knew I would eventually move to this city - & that, when I did, I would love it. I could just feel it, you know? (Remember this poem I wrote?) I gave up on the Cleveland dream for awhile when I was dating someone whose military career didn't allow him - or me - to choose where to live, & after that, I briefly fled back to D.C., my comfort zone.

I
fell further in love, adopted a cat, moved in with my boyfriend, & made/solidified lots
of new friendships. I attended a Cavs game & a Browns game, watched
three shows at Playhouse Square & went to three Cleveland Scene events,
checked out (& had cocktails at) two museums & explored one
giant cemetery, ate at as many delicious restaurants & bars as
possible, celebrated a Cavs championship, survived the RNC, & consumed countless lattes at my favorite local coffee shops. I celebrated two holidays I didn't know existed (Packzi Day & Dyngus Day) & sampled every pierogi I could find.
I've even started drinking Great Lakes beer & wearing CLE shirts
& embracing my accent, that nasally "Akron A" - all things I'd
teased Clevelanders for in the past.

I was right
along when I thought I would love it here. Here's to another great year, Cleveland. After all those years of wandering, I cannot thank you enough for making me feel,
finally, like I belong somewhere.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

You all know I love Cleveland. That much is obvious. But for all my love for my city, this shirt is a misnomer: I left Cleveland this week, boyfriend & cat in tow, so as to be far, far away while my city plays host to the Republican National Convention.

My neighborhood, Tremont, is only about a mile & a half from downtown. It's less accessible by foot than other neighborhoods, which I'm sure are busier this week - but even before the RNC began, we started seeing increased activity in our area. All the restaurants were packed!

Don't get me wrong, I'm honored that our humble city is playing host to such a major national event - but as a diehard liberal & a Hillary supporter, I can't say I'm too excited about the event itself. With all the violence happening lately & all the hateful rhetoric being spewed during this election season, I wasn't especially keen on sticking around for the party at the center of it all.

And so our little family drove south to my hometown, Cuyahoga Falls, where we're spending the week with my mom & her two puppies, enjoying the air conditioning & all the suburban shade. I've been working from my favorite Starbucks again, eating at some of my favorite restaurants, & of course playing Pokémon all around town (though it's slim pickings here!).

It seems that no one in Northeast Ohio can truly escape the RNC, though, at least not until the event finally comes to an end. The other day, my mom & I were taking a walk through downtown Cuyahoga Falls when she asked if we could stop at the local Sheraton Suites Hotel so she could use the restroom (& so I could catch a Magikarp or two). When the hotel doors opened, we were greeted by... Republicans.

OK, we weren't actually greeted by Republican. But we were greeting by the greeting for Republicans. It seems the Michigan delegation is staying right here in town! Yes, Cuyahoga Falls is a bit of a shlep to Cleveland, though at least
the Michigan folks aren't staying in Sandusky, like the California
delegation (actually, it looks like they're having a helluva time at Kalahari Waterpark...) While they're a bit far from the action - an entire county away, even - it seems they got as warm a welcome as anyone.

Let's zoom in on the item in the bottom left: Michigan, it seems, has taken to calling itself "The Comeback State." Don't get me wrong, Michigan needs & deserves a comeback, but, like... is it there yet? Is this proclamation perhaps a bit premature?

Michigan, another Rust Belt state,
is, of course, not too far away from Ohio, & it appears as though
many of the delegates drove down in their own cars - almost exclusively
made by Ford, of course. The Sheraton's parking lot is full of
Michigan-made, Ford-tough vehicles boasting all variety of conservative
paraphernalia, like this probably Republican millennial hipster:

But who wants to drive back & forth to Cleveland every day, especially with all the road closures & traffic issues the RNC hath wrought? Luckily, the Michigan delegation brought this bus:

And every morning, before they board it, they gather for a quick prayer circle to ask God & Jesus to make America great again!

OK, OK, I wasn't going to get political here. Sorry. Have you ever known me to keep my opinions to myself?

Anyway.

The Cleveland visitors bureau launched #AskCLE, a brilliant online initiative to answer city-related questions during the RNC. In my ongoing question to be an unofficial ambassador for the CLE, I've been scrolling through them & tweeting some of my own input (restaurant recommendations, etc.) when appropriate. What a great idea for a social media campaign!

But as much as I like seeing our city in the national spotlight, I wish it were for something more positive, & frankly, I kind of miss home. I'm looking forward to the weekend, when everything settles down & we can head back north. So I guess my only #AskCLE question is: Will this three-ring circus be over soon?

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

I grew up less than 10 minutes away from the Akron city line, yet I know almost nothing about it. I have a notoriously terrible sense of direction, so I just never spent much time there, & while half of my graduating class went on to college at the University of Akron, I went the other way, to Kent State. Akron & I just never really got to know one another.

That's why, when Mike & I were looking for a quick one-day trip to take on the weekend, we decided Akron would be a good, easy place to visit. At about 40 minutes away, it's a straight shot of a drive, & even though we're both originally from the area, neither of us knew much about the city. Perfect for exploring!

We started in Highland Square, a funky little neighborhood that represents Akron's small but robust arts district (& perhaps not coincidentally, it's also the gayborhood). We visited only a few days after the NBA Finals, & Akron was still celebrating the Cavs' win & its hometown boy, LeBron James, who went to high school just down the road.

We began with lunch at Mr. Zub's, a quirky shop whose menu boasts some crazy creations, all named after movie characters. Neither of us got too weird with our orders, though. In fact, we both got the Clarice Starling - plain but delicious gyros. Pay no attention to the creepy name; I swear it was lamb...

After lunch, we moseyed over to Angel Falls, a liberal coffee shop full of strange art, delicious lattes, & lots of local characters. We both caffeinated up & hung out for a little bit, admiring the space & taking in some of the details both outside & in.

Remember how I said Highland Square is super-liberal? Yeah, let's just say the good folks at Angel Falls didn't exactly seem to be looking forward to the RNC rolling into town. (And who can blame them?!) I thought this was a pretty funny spin on the city's welcome message.

How cute is this Little Free Library next door? Its angular, mod design is easily the best one I've ever seen, & it was full of Mary Higgins Clark books, one of my guilty pleasures. Alas, I left them for others to discover.

Next we headed over to Annabell's, the best dive bar in town. They play punk music on Tuesday & feature live bands on the weekend, frequented by hipsters, businessmen, & rockers alike. Cheap booze & a low-key atmosphere - my faves!

There's honestly just not that much to do & see in Highland Square, so after a quick drink, we headed to downtown Akron, which is just a couple miles away. And honestly... there wasn't that much to do downtown, either. That area, while bustling during the work week, is basically a ghost town on Sundays. We walked blocks without ever seeing another person! We did, however, explore some cool sites. One of them is the storied Akron Civic Theatre, which was recently renovated inside but sure does look a state from the road.

We explored Lock 3, an outdoor space & concert/event venue that had, just days before, hosted Akron's Cavs victory party. This banner boasting one of LeBron's most famous Akron-centric lines now hangs in a place of glory right in the middle of Lock 3. Can't miss that Akron pride!

Around the corner was this building that sent a coordinated message to LeBron himself via their windows. Fun/funny fact: Part of downtown's Main Street has actually been renamed King James Way! Not joking.

We also stumbled upon some cool artwork downtown. That first photo us of, like, an electrical box or something, decorated with kids' drawings & quotes about the city. You'll note LBJ in there again, of course, among other things.

But LeBron isn't the only point of Akron pride. Check out this amazing mural that also highlights the Goodyear Blimp, the Akron Zoo, Lock 3, the Black Keys, Devo, & the Soap Box Derby (which I just forgot the name of, so I had to Google "Akron wooden car racing" - nailed it). I love this piece of unique, colorful, 3D artwork - tucked away inside a little corporate park - so very much.

And yes, the Black Keys are from Akron! This is sort of a lackluster sign celebrating such a great band, but hey, it's something.

While we were downtown, we stopped by Rubber City Clothing, a custom T-shirt & design company that makes a whole line of fantastic shirts & other items. We picked up a small print to add to the Cleveland-centric gallery wall in our bedroom, & with difficulty, I refrained from buying yet another Cleveland shirt. Or is this one an Akron shirt?

With so little left to see downtown, we headed back to Cleveland - but not before stopping in Mike's hometown of Richfield to grab ice cream from Country Maid, where he worked in high school. It was fun to see a little piece of his past - & the honey ice cream I got was pretty damn good, too.

And onnnnne final stop: the Everett Road Bridge. Ohio is full of covered bridges - more than 2,000 of them! - but this is the last one remaining in Summit County. When I was a kid, my dad, uncle, cousin, & I used to go out in search of covered bridges, mostly because my dad loved navigation. As a result, I have a deep love of & nostalgia for covered bridges. I was so glad to explore this one, small though it may be. Did you know covered bridges emerged as a means of convincing horses to cross water? The bridges are designed to look like barns to trick the scared animals.

All in all, we had quite the little one-day adventure - & less than an hour from home! If you're a Clevelander, I encourage you to make the trip south to check out all that Akron has to offer. Mike & I are already planning which one-tank trip we'll be taking next. Got any recommendations?

Monday, July 18, 2016

I turn 32 on August 5th, which seems a little bit crazy because when did I get so old?! Don't get me wrong, I don't feel old. It's just that I still remember all too well the panic that set in when I turn 20, & then 25, thinking about how close I was to 30 - & now I'm inching toward 40.And yes, 40 still sounds old to me, but don't tell future-me I said that, OK?

Anyway. As a grown-ass woman, I no longer expect gifts for my birthday (although, I mean, they're welcome, if you're so inclined). I did, however, dip into some of my recent freelance money to make two special birthday purchases for myself: The first is a magical memory foam pillow that's made sleeping much cozier & is doing its small part to combat my insomnia; the second is the long-coveted Kindle Paperwhite, which I scored on sale on Amazon Prime Day.

Here's a short list of all the other goodies I'd treat myself to if money were no object. Because while I no longer expect gifts, it sure is fun to think about them!

"Never a Quiet Year at Hogwarts" print: I've been coveting this gorgeous print by Philly-based artist Anne Lambelet for about two years now. One of these days I'll pull the trigger & buy the XL framed version to hang in the guest room, which we want to decorate with writing inspiration. What better inspiration than the Harry Potter series?!

A massage and/or acupuncture: This is an always-want. I haven't gotten a massage in ages - nearly a year, on my visit to LA last August - despite the fact that I'm perpetually sore. I live with chronic pain as a result of my scoliosis & the stainless steel rods along my spine, & while massages don't actually do much for that pain, they are relaxing as hell. Same with acupuncture, which I used to get acupuncture for pain management; it was divine.

Someone else to clean my floors: We've got unfinished hardwood floors
that get dirty very easily, & cleaning them is my least-favorite
chore. I'd love to hire someone to come in & do a deep clean of the
whole place, ideally every six months or so - but hey, even once would be glorious!

Book of the Month Club subscription: I'm just wrapping up a three-month subscription to BoTM, which I absolutely love & will write about at a later date. Suffice it to say that it's building my personal library & introducing me to tons of interesting new titles, & I'd love to continue my membership. (PS: How great is their Instagram?!)

A bicycle: I left my last bike in New Jersey with my
ex-boyfriend, a decision I continue to regret. I think I'd be much less
afraid to bike in Cleveland than I was in D.C., so I've been looking
into the possibility of investing in a new one. No more waiting on Uber
to take me downtown! Also, my mom is an avid cyclist, & while I
probably can't keep up with her, it'd be fun to try.

The Gilded Bauble Necklace from 31Bits: This brand sells jewelry made of recycled paper beads, handmade by women
in Uganda. And they are gorgeous. I look at their website a few
times a month & pine over, like, everything they offer, imagining my adopting a bohemian style that includes wearing a different 31Bits
necklace every day. But hey, I'd settle for starting small.

The Tory FitBit Bracelet in Brushed Gold: I've been wearing my FitBit every day (when I remember to charge it, that is), but I'd like to be able to continue wearing it during fancier moments, like at weddings & events. Alas, it's pretty ugly & clunky as-is, so I concede & remove it when I'm dressed up. This bracelet is designed to cover it up & make it look much, much nicer - & fancy-clothes-appropriate!

A vacuum cleaner: This is the most depressingly adult thing to ask for, I know, but vacuum cleaners are expensive, man, & my cat sheds a lot, & my rugs are hard to clean. I don't know a damn thing about vacuums, & I have no interest in researching them - possibly the most boring task I can imagine - so ideally, I'd like for someone else to do the legwork & just, you know, give me a good one. Damn you, adulthood.

Whether or not your birthday is approaching, too, tell me: What are you lusting after? Let's dream big together!

Thursday, July 14, 2016

I've never really played video games. I had a GameBoy when I was a kid, but I sucked at it & didn't find it fun, a side from Tetris. The first time I was ever published was in Disney Adventures circa age 8, when I wrote a letter to the editor saying that video games rotted the mind. (Clearly I was a little bit influenced by my parents' views on the matter.)

That's all to say, I never got into Pokémon. I know what a Pikachu & a Jigglypuff & a Snorlax are, vaguely, because I'm a citizen of this pop culture-obsessed world, but beyond that? I had no idea what Pokémon really even was.

To be honest, I still don't - but that's not keeping me from my newfound obsession with Pokémon Go. Clearly, I'm not the only one - Nintendo stock is soaring because the game is so popular - but it sure is weird to be a 31-year-old woman running around the park searching for Charmanders after a lifetime of not giving a damn.

But you guys. This game is so addictive. My friend Lindsey & I can't stop texting each other about PokéStops & leveling up & gym battle tips & setting lures. It's easily all we've talked about for the last four days.

Monday night, I set out to do some Pokémon hunting in my neighborhood. Someone had set a lure (a Pokémon trap, basically) at the gazebo in a nearby park, so I headed that way... & found about a dozen other people doing the same thing. We all just kind of laughed & averted our eyes & did our thing, still not comfortable outing ourselves as public Pokémon players. The dog-walkers, at least, looked like they had an excuse.

Tuesday, I took a quick lunch break & wandered through the park over to a nearby bar, which is set as a "gym" (where your Pokémon can battle other players' Pokémon for holdings & power). As I stood casually beneath a tree, feeling thankful that the bar wasn't yet open, the manager pulled up & walked toward the building. "Playing Pokémon?" he asked me. "I hear we're a gym!" I sort of laughed & mumbled & shuffled away - but not so far away that I couldn't fight my battle (the first I won, by the way).

And then, as I took another quick mid-afternoon break to stretch my legs, I set out to capture an unknown Pokémon that was lurking nearby. I wandered up & down the street a couple times in an effort to find him, & as I stopped on a street corner to try to track him down, some guy yelled out his window, "You tracking Pokémon?" I laughed yes, starting to become less embarrassed, & he responded, "So's everyone! Lots of good stuff in this neighborhood!" And then he sped off. (I never did find that mystery Pokémon...)

I even chatted with a woman who was playing Pokémon Go in an effort to induce labor. I hope she didn't want too far from home.

I'm gettin' goooood, though, y'all. My favorite coffee shop is a PokéStop, which means I can re-up throughout the day, & my obsession with catching new Pokémon is encouraging me to take more breaks to move around a bit, which is surely good news for my body (& don't worry, I'm still doing my job).

Now the most important question, obviously: Where am I gonna find a Pikachu?

Thursday, July 7, 2016

I went to the doctor.

I went to the doctor to talk to her about how I can't seem to sleep, how I only fall into REM sleep circa 5am, which is the worst time for REM sleep, because then I also can't wake up in the morning. It's the worst of both worlds, insomnia & oversleeping all wrapped up in one.

I went to the doctor to tell her that I am so exhausted that I sneak naps during my lunch hour, that I dozed off on a conference call, that I slept well into the evening on a recent Saturday & woke up & cried because I felt so guilty about it. My inability to sleep at night - & to only sleep during the day, apparently - is ruining my life.

I want people to stop telling me that I "don't know tired" until I have kids. I don't doubt that parents are exhausted, but so am I, & it doesn't make me any less exhausted to be told I'm not exhausted enough. I want to tell these people that science says operating on five hours of sleep or less per night is equivalent to being drunk, which means I've been showing up hammered to work - nay, to life - every day for the last two months.

I went to the doctor & showed up on time, but the woman at the front desk looked at me quizzically & said, "Your appointment is tomorrow." My doctor wasn't even in the office that day, she told me. And as she started to reschedule my appointment for sometime late next week, I started to cry. I tried to keep it quiet, but when she looked up at me to confirm next Friday as my new appointment date, the floodgates opened. "Oh, no," she said, alarmed, "What's wrong?!" & I blubbered, "I just can't sleep!" & then all I could do was cry, humiliating myself in the doctor's office waiting room. I guess I'm probably not the first.

I must've looked pathetic as hell, because she rescheduled me immediately, for later that day, with a different doctor - & then she looked at me, sniveling & wiping rivers of mascara off my cheeks, & she said, "Actually, why don't you sit down? I'm going to see if the doctor can just squeeze you in this morning."

And he did. This kind, charismatic, thirtysomething doctor, who is probably younger than me (not that I checked Facebook or anything) came in & sat down & talked to me for 20 whole minutes. He listened while I rattled off the list I'd written in my phone, telling him about how I can't sleep except in the morning, how my anxiety is back, how I'm awake so much that I can do is worry, & now I worry so much that I can't sleep. How it's all a vicious cycle. How I used to sleep for 12 hours at a time. How I never imagined I'd become the kind of person who lies awake at night.

He printed out a resource called "Sleep Hygiene," which is full of tips I've already read online but will continue to try. He recommended a deep breathing app. He ever-so-slightly increased my low dosage of anxiety medicine. He prescribed a temporary, non-habit-forming sleep aid meant to "get me back on track." He told me to come back in two weeks - sooner, if I'm still not sleeping. And if nothing works, he said, we'll run tests - more blood tests, a sleep test, whatever.

Afterward, I went back to work, & just like every day as of late, I yawned all through my afternoon meetings - but today, finally, armed with a prescription & a plan & a doctor who seems to actually really care about me as a human being & not just a health insurance plan, I feel a little bit more hopeful. For once, I'm actually excited to go to sleep. For once, I think maybe it'll work out in my favor before 5am rolls around.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

I've seen a few of these "day in the life" posts swirling around the
blogosphere lately, & I thought it might be fun to do one myself.

Why Tuesday? I don't know, why not Tuesday? Truthfully, the bulk of my days look pretty bland: I work from my kitchen table or from a coffee shop for, like, hours on end. Then again, I guess most days look like this for people who go into offices for their jobs, too. We spend so much damn time at our computers...

Anyway.

***

9:15am: I wake up late - as usual. My coworkers all work together in an office in Manhattan, & they work a standard 9-to-5. I, on the other hand, usually get a little bit of a late start & work more of a 10-to-6. When you consider that I don't have any in-person coworkers or office activities to distract me, it evens out to the same amount of work - sometimes even more, because it's not uncommon got me to lose track of time & forget to stop working! I check social media first thing in the morning (a bad habit, I know) & answer some work emails before starting the day.

9:20am: I spend a couple minutes petting this handsome dude, who's been grumpy lately because he can't sit in the windows & sniff the outdoors. We recently installed window AC units, which have been a godsend, but they mean closed windows, which means I've got a whiny cat. Morning cuddles help.

9:30am: I eat a Balsamic Fig & Hazelnut Curate bar for breakfast & get ready for the day pretty quickly: no shower today, just sunscreen, concealer, foundation, & mascara. And then, because I'm dressed entirely in black & white, I decide it'll be a bright lipstick kinda day. I swipe on Bite Amuse Bouche in Radish, my favorite color of the moment. I hate wearing my hair up, but it's looking a little (OK a lot) raggedy today, so I try something new: an awkward braid over my right shoulder. Um, I should probably learn to French braid? Whatever, this will do for now.

9:50am: After answering a few more emails from home, I head to my favorite coffee shop, which is a whopping half a block away from my apartment. I order my summer usual - a large iced coffee, sweetened, with a little bit of soy milk & am served by one of my favorite baristas, a hipster witch from Massachusetts who always lets me put the milk in myself so the proportions are to my liking. At $1.75, this is a much cheaper option than Starbucks, which is good news for my wallet, given the amount of time I spend here.

12:06pm: I have a weekly check-in meeting with my supervisor that I completely forgot about - though, in my defense, that's only because I was concentrating really hard on a big project. We talk work for about 10 minutes, catch up for another 10, & then call it a day. It's a short week - HR gave us this Friday and next Monday off for Independence Day! - so nobody wants to do more work than necessary. (PS: I gave up on the braid & embraced my dirty hair. Whateverrrr.)

12:40pm: Mike is working from home today, too, which means he's at the coffee shop with me. We live so close to it that at lunch time, I leave my stuff at the cafe & run home; when I get back, we'll trade off & I'll watch his stuff while he gets something to eat. I'm trying to be healthier, so today's lunch is simple: a few slices of Brie with a mix of almonds & dried cranberries (literally all purchased at Trader Joe's). The coffee shop doesn't allow outside food, but I put together a tiny bag of snacks to sneak in with me: a sliced pear, some banana chips, & a juice box.

2:30pm: After a couple more hours of work, I go for a quick walk around Lincoln Park, which is right around the corner from the coffee shop. Today, I spot some chalk drawings along the way. Working from home, it's nearly impossible for me to hit the American Heart Association's recommended 10k steps per day, but I've set my FitBit to 6k & am trying like hell to hit it on a more regular basis. It's .5 miles around the park, which isn't much, but every little bit helps! Sometimes I'll circle it three or four times, when I've got the time - & I know, I need to start making the time.

3:50pm: I'm getting reaaaaally antsy. I love my job, but sitting all day is the pits! Wait, have I ever even told you what I do? I'm a social media & community manager for a large Jewish nonprofit. I spend my days writing, editing, soliciting, & publishing content & then packaging it for social media & other promotional outlets, & I hop on a few video calls a day (which is always slightly awkward to do in public). It's a great gig, but it's a lottttt of sitting in front of a computer screen, so by this time every day, I start to get cabin fever.

6:00pm: It's farmers market day, so I pack up my laptop, leave the coffee shop, & head back to the park, where all the tents are set up. Today looks different, though: half the usual tents, plus a batch of new ones & some weird little sound stage. Apparently a bunch of teens are putting on a singing/dance recital telling the history of American music, which includes performances of "Funkytown," "Brick House" (mildly inappropriate), "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," & "Formation." I eat three pierogis & then realize that Tremont West is passing out free hot dogs, so, um, I eat one of those, too, & watch the show for a bit.

7:45pm: Mike & I head to Great Lakes Brewing Company
in Ohio City, where a few of our friends do trivia night every Tuesday.
We haven't been for awhile, but last time we were there, our team won.
Can we do it again tonight? The quizmaster, who is lovely but new, has a
very difficult time pronouncing our team name, Bend it Like Reykjavik,
which draws lots of quizzical (no pun intended) looks from the other
participants. So much for our jokes! We console ourselves with Holy
Moses White Ale, my new GLBC favorite, & an order of soft pretzels
with beer cheese soup for dipping. (OK, I'm not doing great at the
healthiness thing today...)

10:30pm: Trivia took longer tonight than usual, in part due to the new quizmaster & some technical glitches. But we won! We pose for our victory photo, & our friend Seth pockets the prize, a GLBC gift card - to be used for beers at future trivia nights, of course.

11:15pm: It's laaaaate by the time we settle into bed. I usually do a little bit of reading before bed (right now I'm working through Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear), but I decide I'm too tired for it tonight. Blessedly, I fall asleep fast & stay asleep fairly well, a rarity these days. Bring it on, Wednesday!